WILTSHIRE'S police chief suggested he was less likely to believe a complaint from a "drunken prostitute".

The comments came in 2016, as he defended to politicians the force's £1.5m probe into sex allegations against former prime minister Ted Heath.

An attendance note obtained by The Times shows the senior police officer saying: "My personal view on belief. It is on a sliding scale.

"If you have a six-year-old girl who has trauma in her vagina or anus you would expect me to believe her.

"If you have a drunken prostitute, making allegations regarding a bad debt, you have to make more of a judgement. The critical thing is balance and proportionality."

The comments have been criticised by sex worker campaigners.

Nicky Adams of the English Collective of Prostitutes, told The Times that Mr Veale's "dreadful" comments could have been made without "throwing in a prejudiced slur against sex workers".

Clarifying the "hypothetical" remarks, a Wiltshire Police spokesman said: "The example given did not relate to any allegation that was under investigation during Operation Conifer.

"The briefing was one of several undertaken by the Chief Constable and Operation Conifer team in order to maintain public accountability.

"These briefings were intended to provide updates on the legal requirements, the national guidance, our proportionality tests, the ongoing governance, our duty to investigate and our duty to ensure ongoing public confidence. It is important to state that these briefings did not, at any stage, disclose any operational detail of the investigation."